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The Reckoning Stones
After accusing the pastor of her close-knit religious community of molesting her, fourteen-year-old Mercy Asher is branded a liar and publicly humiliated. She runs away on the night someone beats the pastor into a coma and kills his wife.
Two decades later, Mercy has become Iris Dashwood, an emotionally troubled but brilliant jeweler. She thinks she's in control of her life until news of Pastor Matt's miraculous awakening broadsides her and leaves her unable to design. Iris returns to Lone Pine, Colorado, determined to confront her past to restore her creativity.
Iris reconnects with her mother, best friend, and boyfriend who harbor secrets she must unearth to find a killer. In the final reckoning, the truth may cost more than she anticipates. Will it bring redemption...or devastation?
360 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2015
7 people are currently reading
601 people want to read
About the author
Laura DiSilverio
20 books393 followersI'm the author of the Swift Investigations, Mall Cop and Readaholics mystery series.
After twenty years as an Air Force intelligence officer – serving as a squadron commander, with the National Reconnaissance Office, and at a fighter wing – I retired to parenting and writing full-time.
Spying was easier.
(Laura DiSilverio is also Ella Barrick.)
After twenty years as an Air Force intelligence officer – serving as a squadron commander, with the National Reconnaissance Office, and at a fighter wing – I retired to parenting and writing full-time.
Spying was easier.
(Laura DiSilverio is also Ella Barrick.)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
September 18, 2015
This is a close knit religious community which has no local police force but an outside Sheriff that never gets involved.
Everyone goes to church and everyone knows each other.
Mercy is a 14 year old girl who gets raped by the Pastor Matt. No one believes her.
Someone has attacked Pastor Matt, he has been badly beaten near to death.
But who did it? No one believed her, did they?
Mercy runs.
Twenty years later, she is living far away from this community and trying to live her life. She creates Jewelry.
The author has written a great insight to the Jewelry that Mercy creates which added to the understanding of how sensitive this art is.
Mercy is now known as Iris, she changed her name and her surname.
What happened to the Pastor who raped her? Well he was left in a coma.
Twenty years later Iris comes across and a newspaper that tells the world that a miracle has happened and Paster Matt is now awake.
Iris wants to go back to settle things. Her father was put into prison accused of this crime, but Iris is not convinced that he did it, she visits him in prison.
Of course, her return is not met with a good old welcome home banner. She has a lot of people against her even after all this time.
We see how she meets up with different ones she used to play with, someone she used to love and her best friend and where that leads her now.
Can Iris [who was once known as Mercy] uncover the truth.
And what are these "reckoning stones"
I found this a pretty good paced read. Laura DiSilverio is a great story teller that kept my interest throughout and did keep me guessing until towards the end.
It wasn't shocking to find out but it was understandable and acceptable.
I really did enjoy this read and was breathing a sigh of relief that Mercy got to the bottom of it all.
* I want to thank Midnight Ink and net galley for my review copy*
January 16, 2016
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Lone Pine, Colorado is home to the Community. A religious group based out of the God’s Community of Believers and Disciples Church. Mercy Asher left Lone Pine and the Community behind after years of molestation by the pastor of the church. No one believed her when she confessed to her abuse and she was the one punished. She couldn’t stand to stay somewhere where it seemed even her own family thought she was lying. But someone must have knew she was telling the truth because on the night she ran away someone beat the pastor almost to death and his wife is found dead. The pastor has been in a coma ever since.
Mercy has moved on, traveling from place to place. She is Iris Dashwood now and has become a well known jeweler. She creates amazing pieces that are true works of art. Everything is going fine until she learns the pastor had a miracle recovery and after 20+ years later awakens from him coma. She is unable to think of anything else, her creativity is gone and she knows she has to confront the man who ruined her life. She hasn’t seen or communicated with her family and friends since the day she left. She has no idea what kind of welcome she will receive but she has to go back to Lone Pine.
This is a gripping story will serious topics. The cult like church, the abuse and molestation, secrets, lies and murder. I knew the author from her cozy mysteries. Let me tell you there is nothing cozy about this story. The people of Lone Pine had blind faith when it came to the pastors and the elders. They followed and were brainwashed and even those that knew the truth stood silent.
This has to be the best thing Laura DiSilverio has written. She grabs you by the collar with the prologue and doesn’t let go until the last word. The first twist was good but the last twist would rate a 10 on the Richter Scale.
I grieved for Mercy for what she endured and then suffered again as a young runaway. Her life was so tortured after what that man did to her and then to have no support from anyone until she connected with someone that saved her. She was saved but she was still so broken.
This story is one that will stick with you a long time, especially when you know places like Lone Pine actually exist.
Great character development and a super strong plot will definitely land this book on my Best Reads of 2015 list.
Paradise - 10 stars!
September 11, 2015
I have been a long-time fan of Laura DiSilverio's cozy mysteries, so I was excited when I won a copy of her new suspense novel, The Reckoning Stones, in a Facebook contest. Mercy Asher, the main character, grew up as part of a religious community located just outside of Colorado Springs. When Mercy was 14, she accused Pastor Matt, the leader of the community of sexual abusing her, but no one believes her. That same night, Mercy runs away, Pastor Matt is beaten into a coma, and his wife dies. Mercy's father is put in prison for the crime. Fast-forward 23 years, Mercy has become up-and-coming jewlery designer Iris Dashwood. When Iris hears that Pastor Matt has come out of his coma, she knows she must go back and find out what really happened that night. I could not put this book down...I had to know what happened and why. If you like suspense, you will definitely enjoy this book!
May 23, 2017
Mercy Asher, A.K.A Iris Dashwood, had been raped by Pastor Matt and no one believed her. The tight knit religious community just punished her when she told them what happened. She was stoned as a result of this by her community. So she ran. And, somebody beat the Pastor to death. Who? Mercy's father said he did it so as to keep Mercy [Iris] from taking the blame as her parents assumed she did it. Her father went to prison.
Twenty-three years later, Iris has made a life for herself as a jewelry designer in Portland.. Hearing that Pastor Matt is awake after being in a coma all these years, Iris made the decision to go back to Lone Pine, Colorado and face him again and make him tell the truth.
Will Pastor Matt admit to his indiscretions?
I had won this book through the Good Reads First Reads Giveaway. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.
Twenty-three years later, Iris has made a life for herself as a jewelry designer in Portland.. Hearing that Pastor Matt is awake after being in a coma all these years, Iris made the decision to go back to Lone Pine, Colorado and face him again and make him tell the truth.
Will Pastor Matt admit to his indiscretions?
I had won this book through the Good Reads First Reads Giveaway. I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.
March 3, 2016
The Reckoning Stones by Laura DiSilverio is mystery novel that puts the mystery itself secondary to the tale, and the emotional and traumatic recovery of a victim of sexual abuse primary. In doing so Laura DiSilverio has created a tightly woven story of betrayal, isolation and the eventual survival of its main character Mercy Asher.
Lone Pine, Colorado is a close knit community that is held together by its deeply seeded religious beliefs. They have no local police force and are rarely visited by the sheriff's department. In Lone Pine they take care of their own. They have had few scandals in Lone Pine but one of them involved it's minister, Pastor Matt, the death of his wife and the man who was convicted and sent to prison for her death and the severe beating of the minister himself. Pastor Matt, as a result of the beating, has been in a coma for over two decades. A coma he is beginning to come out of. A miracle to many in the religious community of Lone Pine.
Mercy Asher was fourteen when she left Lone Pine. Since that time her life has been one of suffering and redemption. On her own, as a young runaway she was prostituted and beaten. But now, with an opportunity to lead a better life she is settling down. Except for the occasional foray into sex with younger men with no emotional attachment. Mercy has changed her name to Iris Dashwood and has put Lone Pine far behind her. Except for the nights when the memories come back too strong to drink away.
But she is better she thinks, until news of the recovery of Pastor Matt reaches her. Now Mercy knows that she must return to Lone Pines. Return to face the man she accused of rape. Return to the community that shunned and turned its back on her. To the community that branded her a liar and humiliated her for accusing Pastor Matt of raping a fourteen year old girl. To the mother who sided with the church and Pastor Matt. To her father, who sits in prison for the killing and beating of Pastor Matt and his wife. The father that Mercy knows is innocent.
The Reckoning Stones is a powerfully written novel of the pain and betrayal that is the sexual abuse of a young girl by a authority figure she trusts. Compounded by the community and family that turns their back on her and you have a broken and tragic character in Mercy Asher. A character that DiSilverio has infused with strength and weakness and an all consuming rage at her herself and her past.
This novel is not an indictment on religion, but it is an indictment of the blind trust anyone puts in an institution that puts children at risk. But DiSilverio does not waste her story on that, instead she crafts a terrific story about Mercy/Iris. How she feels. How she copes. How she survives and the cost of returning to the community that caused her so much harm. A community that twenty years afterward would still prefer to believe in its authority figure then in the words of a fourteen year old girl. As the truth becomes to powerful to bear, the community must choose between the truth and the lie they had been led to believe.
If their is a knock on this book it is that we must believe that this community and the good people within are able to turn themselves blind to far too many instances. Not just the rape of Mercy Asher. While plausible, it does become a little too much.
DiSilverio does so much more with the character of Mercy/Iris that she overrides any flaws the book presents.
This is a very good read.
Lone Pine, Colorado is a close knit community that is held together by its deeply seeded religious beliefs. They have no local police force and are rarely visited by the sheriff's department. In Lone Pine they take care of their own. They have had few scandals in Lone Pine but one of them involved it's minister, Pastor Matt, the death of his wife and the man who was convicted and sent to prison for her death and the severe beating of the minister himself. Pastor Matt, as a result of the beating, has been in a coma for over two decades. A coma he is beginning to come out of. A miracle to many in the religious community of Lone Pine.
Mercy Asher was fourteen when she left Lone Pine. Since that time her life has been one of suffering and redemption. On her own, as a young runaway she was prostituted and beaten. But now, with an opportunity to lead a better life she is settling down. Except for the occasional foray into sex with younger men with no emotional attachment. Mercy has changed her name to Iris Dashwood and has put Lone Pine far behind her. Except for the nights when the memories come back too strong to drink away.
But she is better she thinks, until news of the recovery of Pastor Matt reaches her. Now Mercy knows that she must return to Lone Pines. Return to face the man she accused of rape. Return to the community that shunned and turned its back on her. To the community that branded her a liar and humiliated her for accusing Pastor Matt of raping a fourteen year old girl. To the mother who sided with the church and Pastor Matt. To her father, who sits in prison for the killing and beating of Pastor Matt and his wife. The father that Mercy knows is innocent.
The Reckoning Stones is a powerfully written novel of the pain and betrayal that is the sexual abuse of a young girl by a authority figure she trusts. Compounded by the community and family that turns their back on her and you have a broken and tragic character in Mercy Asher. A character that DiSilverio has infused with strength and weakness and an all consuming rage at her herself and her past.
This novel is not an indictment on religion, but it is an indictment of the blind trust anyone puts in an institution that puts children at risk. But DiSilverio does not waste her story on that, instead she crafts a terrific story about Mercy/Iris. How she feels. How she copes. How she survives and the cost of returning to the community that caused her so much harm. A community that twenty years afterward would still prefer to believe in its authority figure then in the words of a fourteen year old girl. As the truth becomes to powerful to bear, the community must choose between the truth and the lie they had been led to believe.
If their is a knock on this book it is that we must believe that this community and the good people within are able to turn themselves blind to far too many instances. Not just the rape of Mercy Asher. While plausible, it does become a little too much.
DiSilverio does so much more with the character of Mercy/Iris that she overrides any flaws the book presents.
This is a very good read.
September 15, 2015
The Reckoning Stones is a tightly woven, compelling mystery set in a tiny community in Colorado. But Lone Pine isn't your average community. It's inhabitants are all deeply religious and must live within certain rules and strict codes of conduct.
Iris, hasn't been back to Lone Pine for twenty years, but she can't put it off any longer, she has to face the very thing she ran away from, she has to free herself of her past.
Initially, I wasn't sure about this book at all. I was intrigued by the synopsis but the first few pages really failed to pull me in. However, something finally kicked in a few chapters later and I was hooked.
I'm not religious in the slightest, and this book certainly made me glad of that; it doesn't exactly paint a good picture of people of faith (albeit extreme faith). Lone Pine is much more than a community, it's more like a cult which lives by, and governs its own rules, and that's what I found really interesting about it (I'm strangely obsessed with cults btw).
I was with Iris the whole way through. I felt so sickened by what had happened to her all those years ago, and how the community still ostracised her. I liked that she was a complex character who was so strong in some ways, and so vulnerable in others.
Overall, I thought The Reckoning Stones was a great mystery, and one that I became completely engrossed in. It's about facing your demons, overcoming your past and getting what you deserve, no matter how long it may take.
Iris, hasn't been back to Lone Pine for twenty years, but she can't put it off any longer, she has to face the very thing she ran away from, she has to free herself of her past.
Initially, I wasn't sure about this book at all. I was intrigued by the synopsis but the first few pages really failed to pull me in. However, something finally kicked in a few chapters later and I was hooked.
I'm not religious in the slightest, and this book certainly made me glad of that; it doesn't exactly paint a good picture of people of faith (albeit extreme faith). Lone Pine is much more than a community, it's more like a cult which lives by, and governs its own rules, and that's what I found really interesting about it (I'm strangely obsessed with cults btw).
I was with Iris the whole way through. I felt so sickened by what had happened to her all those years ago, and how the community still ostracised her. I liked that she was a complex character who was so strong in some ways, and so vulnerable in others.
Overall, I thought The Reckoning Stones was a great mystery, and one that I became completely engrossed in. It's about facing your demons, overcoming your past and getting what you deserve, no matter how long it may take.
February 5, 2017
Non-series. A far cry from author DiSilverio's prior novels - three cozy mystery series. Here is the story of Iris Dashwood, the jewelry designer who escaped from being teenage Mercy Asher member of a cultish community. I found the beginning of this novel slow going, with the locale switching back and forth from Oregon to Colorado and the time from 2014 to 1991. Even when the time was firmly set in 2014, there were flashbacks. Once the backstory was firmly established, the novel proceeded nicely with successive layers of the mystery surrounding Pastor Matt's deeds and attack being peeled back. The author uses language very well with my favorite being the description of a grossly fat woman as being "Buried in a mausoleum of flesh." Very satisfying conclusion.
Nobody believed that Pastor Matt raped her. The tight-knit religious community punished her when she spoke out, expected fifteen-year-old Mercy to repent for making false allegations. Instead, she ran. And somebody--her father?--beat Pastor Matt into a coma and left his wife for dead. Twenty-three years later, Iris has put a life together, transformed herself from runaway teen Mercy Asher to sought-after jewelry designer Iris Dashwood. But now that Pastor Matt's awake, she's returned to confront him.
Nobody believed that Pastor Matt raped her. The tight-knit religious community punished her when she spoke out, expected fifteen-year-old Mercy to repent for making false allegations. Instead, she ran. And somebody--her father?--beat Pastor Matt into a coma and left his wife for dead. Twenty-three years later, Iris has put a life together, transformed herself from runaway teen Mercy Asher to sought-after jewelry designer Iris Dashwood. But now that Pastor Matt's awake, she's returned to confront him.
May 17, 2018
Reckoning Stones is an insightful, suspense-filled novel that is hauntingly realistic in today's world. That makes it all the more frightening. I've lived in places where this could definitely happen and although it's fiction, shows that even the most tightly knit community must have critical thinking in its morality code. DiSilverio is fast becoming one of my favorite authors because of the insights she weaves on the human condition along with telling us a great tale. The classic novels have been inspirational and so this one finds a place on that shelf. It's a keeper. The novel is in the category "suspense" but it's far more than that. When one finishes reading, one is satisfied but one also feels compelled to discuss it. I especially liked that the theme of power was displayed in social terms rather than political for a change. There is a series in my memoir group concerning rooting out family trauma affecting several generations. This could have been the book of the month for that group. Congrats, Laura on another winner.
September 2, 2019
Life in "The Community", a back woods religious congregation, isn't always what it seems to be. Pastor Matt uses his role as holy mighty spiritual leader to have his way with young women. When Mercy speaks out telling the truth everyone sides with Pastor Matt and they punish her with an ancient horrible ritual involving reckoning stones. Mercy is shunned by her family and the entire community. She runs away leaving that world behind struggling to find her way out of that oppressive upbringing. Shedding her name as well as her background she becomes Iris a well regarded jewelry designer. Circumstances lead her to return to her childhood home 23 years later finding her father imprisoned, her mother a prisoner of the church and Pastor Matt awakening from a 23 year long coma. Finding the person who attacked Pastor Matt those many years ago brings ugly questions to the surface. Trying to force her way into the community again proves difficult. Tight lips, lies, cover-ups are everywhere she turns but she continues in a attempt to free her father.
March 3, 2020
Crime-drama might be a bit of a stretch from what I typically think of when I think of that genre, but I still think it fits. The majority of this story is very serious and deals with a lot of heavy subject matter. I won't lie that it was difficult to read and if you are sensitive to any type of abuse I would proceed with caution. It's especially hard to realize that stories just like this actually happen and are true. That communities (religious ones, at that) often have things like this taking place and everyone turns a blind eye. The saddest part is knowing the impact it can have on the lives of the victims and their families. It had a mystery element to it all, waiting for the truth to be revealed and I wasn't disappointed.
February 14, 2022
Wow. I am truly speechless. This was an AMAZING novel! I have never read Laura DiSilverio’s novels before, but I must say she is a fabulous author. I was in the library, searching for a book to read and this bad boy caught my attention. The cover really drew me in, and as I read the synopsis I just HAD to read it. Rape is a delicate topic to discuss, let alone write about; however the way DiSilverio’s worlds just flow is just brilliant. I never knew what reckoning stones were before this novel and have a new found knowledge regarding them and their outdated practices. The ending took my by surprise! I was not expecting that at all! This is MUST READ book, got me hooked and I did not want to put it down! You will surely love it.
May 21, 2017
The Reckoning Stones was very well written and a very easy read. The book flowed and you really wanted to know the outcome. I felt like I had read the ending from several previous books. Nothing really new there. But the characters were interesting. The author revealed the story at a good pace so you were never bored or frustrated. I would have given it one more star if it hadn't been so predictable at the end.
July 19, 2020
I'm a big fan of Laura DiSilverio standalones, and this one did not disappoint. The protagonist's backstory is interesting considering the way young women from decades ago were treated when sexual abuse was reported as opposed to today's #MeToo movement. In The Reckoning Stones, however, the ongoing tragedy is the lie that landed Mercy Asher's father in prison. Now known as Iris Dashwood, new developments bring Mercy back home to a web of lies that she must untangle.
July 15, 2018
This story grabs you and doesn't let go, it's a journey into darkness that's a hard nut to crack, but very interesting story, great narration, really enjoyed it. Very enthralling, gripping story of corruption, religion, and dirty deeds. I'd definitely recommend this to others :)
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.
June 14, 2018
An excellent psychological suspense about a woman going back to her hometown to confront the man who sexually assaulted her as a teenager and the parents who didn't believe her. Disilverio keeps you guessing to the bitter end as to what really happened and who...
November 17, 2018
Though I found some parts a little difficult to read, it kept my interest from beginning to end. I thought I had the ending figured out but I only had it partly right because of an interesting twist at the end.
May 8, 2017
So many words to say so little. So many subplots.
September 16, 2017
Well written mystery. Kept my interest.
February 4, 2018
Couldn't put it down!
July 30, 2020
The Reckoning Stones was very interesting. There were a lot of characters, and I had to stop and try to remember who they were. It was a very good story.
September 25, 2015
Redemption might come through some big selfless act, or through a series of small sacrifices, or it can come through a deliberate silence and a willingness to let go.
Iris once known as Mercy has come back home 23 years later to Colorado Springs. Will having a new perspective and a plan to claim her life back after losing it all those years ago, is she able to redeem all that she has lost? Her father is now in prison for 23 years for the brutal attack of the “community” pastor Matt whom Iris had accused of sexual abuse who has been in a coma as well. With her father in prison, Pastor Matt serving his own sentence, and the self-destruction prison sentence that Iris is now living, she has much to gain by breaking the strong holds that have kept her living in her past.
Coming back has not been the welcome home coming but a fight for her life as someone is determined to send her back to Washington where she now lives. Fighting for her father’s freedom, she must discover what happened that night when The Reckoning of the stones changed the lives of her family.
Iris story deals with sexual abuse when one man has absolute power over so many. Absolute power corrupts absolutely even in a religious setting where it is can be so damaging. The narration did not go into great sexual detail but it was truthful to the consequences of the abuse of power and the affects it has on victims. The setting in Colorado Springs was very personal to me as I lived there and went to school near the Black Forest where the community resided. With a beautiful setting with Pikes Peak and the terrible abuse made the story that more contrasting.
A Special Thank you to Midnight Ink and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
Iris once known as Mercy has come back home 23 years later to Colorado Springs. Will having a new perspective and a plan to claim her life back after losing it all those years ago, is she able to redeem all that she has lost? Her father is now in prison for 23 years for the brutal attack of the “community” pastor Matt whom Iris had accused of sexual abuse who has been in a coma as well. With her father in prison, Pastor Matt serving his own sentence, and the self-destruction prison sentence that Iris is now living, she has much to gain by breaking the strong holds that have kept her living in her past.
Coming back has not been the welcome home coming but a fight for her life as someone is determined to send her back to Washington where she now lives. Fighting for her father’s freedom, she must discover what happened that night when The Reckoning of the stones changed the lives of her family.
Iris story deals with sexual abuse when one man has absolute power over so many. Absolute power corrupts absolutely even in a religious setting where it is can be so damaging. The narration did not go into great sexual detail but it was truthful to the consequences of the abuse of power and the affects it has on victims. The setting in Colorado Springs was very personal to me as I lived there and went to school near the Black Forest where the community resided. With a beautiful setting with Pikes Peak and the terrible abuse made the story that more contrasting.
A Special Thank you to Midnight Ink and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
June 7, 2016
Title: The Reckoning Stones
Author: Laura DiSilverio
Published: 9-8-15
Publisher: Midnight Ink
Pages: 360
Genre: Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense
Sub Genre: Literary Fiction;
ISBN: 9780738745114
ASIN: B013J68VZW
Reviewer: DelAnne
Reviewed For: NetGalley
Rating 5 Stars
.
Although known for her many cozy mysteries which are well received and liked; Reckoning Stones takes her into a deeper darker side of the mystery genre. The Reckoning Stones tell of the hidden crime in the world the abuse of authority over children and teens to terrorize and physically use them.
Mercy ran when she was fifteen after being raped by the influential pastor and the town didn't believe her and punished her trying to make her rescind her accusation. The Pastor was found later to be beaten into a coma and his wife left for dead. Twenty-three years late Mercy Asher now Iris Dashwood, a now famous jewelry designer has returned to confront Pastor Matt, who has awakened from is coma, and town to make them admit the truth of what happened all those years ago. The memories of that time begins to take its toll on Iris. Can she hold herself together and survive the coming confrontation.
A thrilling suspense story that will keep you in its grip from beginning to end. My rating is 5 out of 5 stars.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013J68VZW/...
Barnes and Noble link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-r...
Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
The Reading Room link: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...
Author: Laura DiSilverio
Published: 9-8-15
Publisher: Midnight Ink
Pages: 360
Genre: Mystery, Thrillers & Suspense
Sub Genre: Literary Fiction;
ISBN: 9780738745114
ASIN: B013J68VZW
Reviewer: DelAnne
Reviewed For: NetGalley
Rating 5 Stars
.
Although known for her many cozy mysteries which are well received and liked; Reckoning Stones takes her into a deeper darker side of the mystery genre. The Reckoning Stones tell of the hidden crime in the world the abuse of authority over children and teens to terrorize and physically use them.
Mercy ran when she was fifteen after being raped by the influential pastor and the town didn't believe her and punished her trying to make her rescind her accusation. The Pastor was found later to be beaten into a coma and his wife left for dead. Twenty-three years late Mercy Asher now Iris Dashwood, a now famous jewelry designer has returned to confront Pastor Matt, who has awakened from is coma, and town to make them admit the truth of what happened all those years ago. The memories of that time begins to take its toll on Iris. Can she hold herself together and survive the coming confrontation.
A thrilling suspense story that will keep you in its grip from beginning to end. My rating is 5 out of 5 stars.
Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013J68VZW/...
Barnes and Noble link: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-r...
Goodreads link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
The Reading Room link: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.ph...
December 4, 2016
There were several things to like about this book and one big flaw that made me not want to read anything else by this author. The careful, realistic presentation of sexual abuse of young people and the lifelong, psychological consequences of that circumstance is well handled and well done. I liked the idea of trying to reconstruct the crime 28 years later and I like the way that the author informs the reader of the discoveries as Iris discovers them. I like to follow the logic as a mystery unravels and this author permits the reader to follow.
So what's not to like? I take exception to the character of Esther and the author's use of her obesity as a manifestation of all manner of personality flaws and a sign of evil incarnate. I am obese. Some of the people I love most in the world are obese. I know obese people generally are smart, loving, caring, healthy, hard-working, giving and creative. So I say this, Ms DeSilverio. A hundred million years of mammalian evolution have gone into developing the ability to store energy as fat at times when food is plentiful. Come the next famine, war, plague or natural disaster with it's attendant collapse of civilization, when the remnants of humanity are huddled together starving and crying, it will be people like me who are still strong enough to go forth and find or grow or kill sustenance for the tribe. Show a little respect, Ms Disilverio, or we just might leave your skinny ass freezing and starving outside the cave.
So what's not to like? I take exception to the character of Esther and the author's use of her obesity as a manifestation of all manner of personality flaws and a sign of evil incarnate. I am obese. Some of the people I love most in the world are obese. I know obese people generally are smart, loving, caring, healthy, hard-working, giving and creative. So I say this, Ms DeSilverio. A hundred million years of mammalian evolution have gone into developing the ability to store energy as fat at times when food is plentiful. Come the next famine, war, plague or natural disaster with it's attendant collapse of civilization, when the remnants of humanity are huddled together starving and crying, it will be people like me who are still strong enough to go forth and find or grow or kill sustenance for the tribe. Show a little respect, Ms Disilverio, or we just might leave your skinny ass freezing and starving outside the cave.
October 19, 2015
I started this fascinating suspense novel Friday night on an airplane flight home and read it almost nonstop until I finished Saturday night, unable to put it down! The author has a lyrical touch with language even while dealing with serious and disturbing topics. The main character, Iris, is a fascinating woman who courageously escaped from an abusive religious community years before and now finds herself following a dangerous path to confront dark crimes from the past whose ugly tentacles have reached into her reinvented life. What she finds out shakes the foundations on which her reality is based. The plot is skillfully woven through the point of views of women affected in different ways by the abuse from which Iris escaped. Though the subject matter could have made this story dark, the author handles it so skillfully that the reader, though caught up in the suspense, closes the book at the end, uplifted but still intrigued. I look forward to reading more from this talented storyteller.
October 12, 2015
I received a beautiful paperback copy of this book with a very nice inscription from the author for free via the Goodreads Giveaways program and would like to thank everyone who made that possible - especially the author!
This is a very enjoyable mystery novel that broaches some difficult and disturbing subjects. It features a church community that borders on being cultish and centers on how that community deals with a pedophile in their midst. I loved the use of flashbacks and how they created suspense for me while I was waiting to find out just exactly what the reckoning stones and the ritual around them was. There were some great twists at the end of the story and a great mystery element that kept me speculating until the end - I was surprised by the identity of the culprit which is always fun. The ending was ultimately uplifting with its message of redemption and forgiveness. Overall this is a great read and I am very grateful that I got the opportunity to read it!
This is a very enjoyable mystery novel that broaches some difficult and disturbing subjects. It features a church community that borders on being cultish and centers on how that community deals with a pedophile in their midst. I loved the use of flashbacks and how they created suspense for me while I was waiting to find out just exactly what the reckoning stones and the ritual around them was. There were some great twists at the end of the story and a great mystery element that kept me speculating until the end - I was surprised by the identity of the culprit which is always fun. The ending was ultimately uplifting with its message of redemption and forgiveness. Overall this is a great read and I am very grateful that I got the opportunity to read it!
September 27, 2015
Iris Dashwood (formerly Mercy Asher) hears on the news that Pastor Matt, who molested her 23 years ago, has come out of his coma. She returns to her hometown to accomplish several things: see her Dad who is in prison for putting Pastor Matt in the coma, confront Pastor Matt, and hold her head high in the community that sided with Pastor Matt and didn't believe her. Iris is now an acclaimed jewelry designer but she's hit a block with making her designs. In confronting her past, she finds some people don't seem to believe Pastor Matt as strongly as she thought. If her Dad didn't beat Pastor Matt, then who did?
The book deals with a dark subject but I'm glad the confrontation makes Iris a changed person. I had not heard of this author before but I liked the book.
I received this book for free in an author giveaway. My opinion is my own and not influenced by anyone.
The book deals with a dark subject but I'm glad the confrontation makes Iris a changed person. I had not heard of this author before but I liked the book.
I received this book for free in an author giveaway. My opinion is my own and not influenced by anyone.
August 24, 2016
Twenty-four years ago, Mercy Asher fled from Lone Pine, a religious cult-like community in Colorado. mercy was raped by Pastor Matt, but no one believed her, and she was been shunned and stoned by her community. The same night she ran, Pastor Matt was beat into a coma. Mercy's father found him, and he went to prison for a crime he did not commit. Now, Pastor Matt has awakened, and Mercy, now a semi-famous jewelry designer named Iris Dashwood, finds herself drawn home to confront her. But upon learning her father did not beat Pastor Matt but confessed because he believed she had and wished to prevent the police from tracking her down, Iris is more determined than ever to sort out what really happened in Lone Pine all those years ago, and many of Lone Pine's secrets come to the surface.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 15, 2016
Very quick read (read the whole thing on my train commute, lunch break, and then about an hour at home). Story is about a woman returning to her childhood home to confront the pastor of the extremely conservative church/community she grew up in about raping her as a young teen - he'd just awakened from a 23 year coma after having been beaten nearly to death the night she ran away. She goes to visit her father, in prison for the attack (which also apparently caused the pastor's wife to die from a heart attack), only to find out that he only confessed because he thought she had done it. So she decides to stick around and find the real attacker and clear her dad's name. There were times when I didn't like Iris very much, but the story was still compelling and well-paced.
March 3, 2016
I'm not quite sure why, but I could not put this book down. So I'm going to assume it was very well written, with compelling characters, a great plot, and subject matter that's enthralling. The author really knew how to keep the reader turning pages, which is good. I've never read this author before, but apparently she has a "cozy" mystery series and some other books out there. This is not a "cozy."
September 9, 2015
I love a good mystery! This book was good and kept me wanting to read more. I enjoyed the characters and story line kept me on my toes. I think this is a good book for you to read it you like mysteries too. * I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
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